To celebrate his marriage to Alexandra, Nicholas held a customary banquet for his subjects. This traditional wedding feast turned into a stampeding mass of humanity as people - trying to grab morsels of food - crushed each other. Many people died, but Nicholas did not cancel plans to attend a ball in his honor. Failing to even express some sorrow did not sit well with his subjects.

Thinking he needed an ice-free Pacific port, Nicholas fought a war with Japan in 1904. It was a disastrous move that ended in stinging defeat. Russia had to surrender to Japan. This embarrassment did not sit well with the Russian people.

When World War I broke out, Nicholas decided to assume personal command of Russia's military might. He miscalculated his ability as a military leader. He misread the needs of his people. When support for the war eroded because people were starving, he paid no attention. When riots began in St. Petersburg (this link takes you to the War Office Arch during the time of the Romanovs), he was at the front - not in the city where his presence could have made a difference. These mistakes did not sit well with his military generals.

Nicholas II made a lot of bad decisions when he was Tsar. But no decision was worse than allowing Rasputin to become a part of the royal family.